


Little Talks

by flower_child



Category: Orphan Black (TV)
Genre: Camp Counselor AU, F/F, Summer Camp AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-29
Updated: 2015-08-02
Packaged: 2018-04-11 22:37:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4455107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flower_child/pseuds/flower_child
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Summer Camp Counselor AU</p>
<p>Seventeen year old exchange student Delphine Cormier needs a job, and so does Cosima Niehaus, an incoming biology student at Berkeley. Cosima's got her eye on the ball, but is Delphine "in the loop," as the Americans would say? We'll get back to you...twenty ten-year-olds and five weeks later.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Orientation

“Well, you know the drill…Just graduated, parents want me out of the house for the summer before school starts, and I love kids, so we thought that, you know, camp counseling would be the way to go.”

The girl flashed a wide smile around the circle of counselors, eyes raking over each of them. Delphine couldn’t help but stare—the girl (Cosima?) was absolutely mesmerizing to look at. Colorful bracelets lined her wrists, and her dreadlocked hair swung wildly around her eyes.

Eyes which were suddenly fixed directly on her own.

Delphine’s breath caught in her throat as the girl flashed a wink directly at her. She turned slightly—nobody behind her. The girl was actually looking at _her._ She was sure she must be blushing, but she grinned back anyway, unable to look away. The fingers fidgeting in her lap were suddenly sweaty. She became very aware at that moment of her hunched back, her messy ponytail, and the fact that her ankles were digging into the hard floor of the gym.

What was wrong with her?

_I don’t have any friends here,_ she reasoned with herself. _I just…really want to be her friend._

Someone nudged her in the side. “Your turn,” said a smiling voice from her left.

_“Merde,”_ Delphine coughed before glancing around the circle. How long had she been out of it? Better get this over with. “Hello everyone, I’m Delphine. Um, I needed a way to pay off some of my exchange tuition for the summer, and I’m a bit, em, what’s the word…”

She trailed off, suddenly embarrassed, feeling twelve sets of eyes boring into her. She swallowed hard before barreling on. “Well, I, um, run into things a lot. So jobs at, um, restaurants aren’t my…thing. So here I am.”

Silence for a moment. Delphine looked down at her lap— _shit._ She wasn’t supposed to completely screw up this early on.

 Then, “Clumsy.”

“Excuse me?” Delphine’s head shot up, sure her cheeks were blazing.

“Clumsy, that’s the word you’re looking for.”

Her savior was training those dark, inquisitive eyes directly at her, framed with long dreads. _Cosima._

Delphine grinned. “Yes, thank you. I’m very clumsy.”

“English is hard, dude. I gotcha.” Cosima flashed her jaw-dropping smile again.

Delphine’s mouth went dry, her fingers intensifying their fidgeting.

_Friends._

As the new counselor to her right—Ben—started giving his introduction, Delphine glanced around the circle again, looking for cute boys. She’d be here for five weeks, so, she figured, might as well check out the territory.

Out of the twelve counselors for the summer, there were only four boys. Henry, two seats to her left, was alright-looking, but had seemed pompous in his introduction. She’d give him a shot. Ben, to her right, looked like he was twelve. Better steer clear of that one. The two remaining boys hadn’t been introduced yet, but she’d keep her eye out. Not altogether too promising, but as she sent a glance around the circle at the girls, she thought she wouldn’t have too much competition. American boys were always into the French girls, right?

Her gaze landed on Cosima. She swallowed—she might have some competition in Cosima. She was so pretty and smart and charming and—

A loud voice cut through her thoughts: “Okay, everyone! Get settled in your cabins and meet back in the multipurpose room at three.”

In a daze, Delphine got to her feet and started walking to the door, immediately joined by a strange smell of flowers. She turned her head this way then that—

It was Cosima.

Her mouth was suddenly very dry. “H-hi, Cosima,” she stuttered.

“Heyyy, Delphine,” the girl drawled, leading the pair out of the cramped building.

Delphine’s stomach flipped over as Cosima slung her arm through the crook of her elbow, her skin tingling at the contact.

“How’s your first day going?”

Delphine swallowed—talking to teachers was one thing, but colloquialisms? Totally beyond her reach.

“It has been alright,” she admitted. “A bit of a pain in the bottom to get here.”

The girl to her left burst out laughing, bumping into her as they walked to the cabins. “Did you just say ‘a pain in the bottom’?”

Delphine’s face grew hot again. “Is that not the expression? Oh no, I’m so sorry—”

“Don’t be,” Cosima smiled. “You’re almost there. If you wanna be, like, age appropriate, you’ll want to say, like, ‘pain in the neck,’ but otherwise you can say, ‘pain in the ass.’”

It seemed…okay for her to make mistakes. Cosima understood.

“Thank you, Cosima.”

“No problem,” the other girl said softly, leaning her head on Delphine’s shoulder. “So how about that clumsiness?” Cosima continued after a moment, a smile lining her lips again.

Delphine giggled. “Oh, yes. They kicked me out of dancing school because of it.”

“No way!” Cosima bumped into her again, nearly knocking her off balance.

“You see what I mean?” Delphine laughed, regaining her stance on the woodsy path.

 

Soon, they reached the cabins—twelve small ones, each fit to house ten campers and a counselor.

“Which is yours?” Cosima asked as they scanned the line of small houses.

“Em, I think it is Castor?”

“Ooh!” Cosima actually jumped up in the air, clapping her hands. “That means we’ll be sister cabins. Mine is Leda.”

Perplexed, Delphine asked, “What do you mean?”

“Oh, there are six pairs of cabins, and each is from, like, Greek mythology. Castor is, like, Leda’s son from her human husband, but she also had demigod kids, Helen and Polydeuces—” Cosima broke off, hands stopping their perpetual motion in midair. “I’m ranting again, totally sorry.”

“No, no, I like—I mean I didn’t mind it,” Delphine said hurriedly. It wasn’t completely true; she was absolutely fascinated by the way the girl spoke. “But,” she gestured to the cabins, “we should probably unpack, right?”

Cosima’s eyes widened. “Yeah, totally.”

Delphine steeled herself for five seconds of bravery—“Do you want to, em, hang out? After orientation tonight?”

Cosima’s face broke into a wide grin. “Yeah, of course! Meet you after dinner by your cabin.”

Delphine watched Cosima walk towards her cabin, then stepped into her own, stretching her arms high above her head. As she twisted her body, she noticed small stains of sweat forming under her arms. It wasn’t even that hot out…

_I’m just nervous_ , she figured. _New place, new language. It’s alright._

 

“Henry, Cosima, Julie, Meg, Emily, and Cassie!” a voice shouted once all twelve counselors had assembled again. “Go with Mike, you guys are gonna start in First Aid! The rest of you—go with Jan to work on Discipline.”

Cosima caught Delphine’s eye from across the throng with an apologetic glance.

_Damn._ Delphine had been hoping to have a friend in her orientation group. Oh well. They’d meet up after dinner.

She found her heart lifting at the thought.

 

“Heyy!” a voice drawled from behind Delphine as she sat awkwardly on the steps leading to cabin Castor.

She looked round and found Cosima crouched behind her, prepared to pounce.

“Hey!” she yelped, laughing as Cosima’s arms draped around her neck. She tried to move as little as possible, not wanting to dislodge her and stop the comforting touch.

“You wanna go down to the beach? We have some free time before ‘team bonding’ at nine.” Cosima rested her chin on Delphine’s shoulder from behind, making the hairs on the back of Delphine’s neck tickle.

“Of course,” she replied, grinning in Cosima’s direction, even though the latter couldn’t see.

 

And so they walked, talking about this and that, Delphine feeling her English improving almost by the minute. She actually found herself joking in English, something she hadn’t really been able to pull off before.

Soon, though, the laughter died down, and panic started to rise in Delphine’s throat. They were almost at the beach, walking through trees and thickets, but what if she had nothing to say? What if she couldn’t think of anything—

“How long are you in America?”

_Thank God._

“Well, I’m on an exchange program and I’m here for a year, staying with a family and going to school, but since it’s summer, we thought I should get a job, you know?”

Delphine, too focused on not tripping over her words or her feet, didn’t even notice Cosima’s watchful eyes on her, taking in every word.

“You’re seventeen?” Delphine asked, trying to get the ball out of her court, so they say.

“Hmm?” Cosima seemed not to be paying attention— _was I boring her?_ Delphine wondered.

“Oh,” Cosima continued. “Yeah, I’ll be turning eighteen in a few months. I’m always, like, the youngest person in my grade because my birthday’s so late, but I didn’t quite meet the cutoff, so my parents decided that I’d just start school early.”

“Mhmm,” Delphine agreed. “I’ll be eighteen in November.”

“Hey, cool!”

Delphine didn’t respond—they’d reached the beach. Only now, looking across the expanse of the lake, did she realize that Cosima was carrying a blanket for them to sit on. The other girl laid it out across the sand, not quite close enough to be touching the waves at high tide, and gestured for Delphine to sit.

Her heart started beating faster and faster as Cosima moved to sit next to her.

_Right_ next to her.

So close that their hips were touching and Cosima’s hand, stretched out behind her, was just centimeters away from Delphine’s own.

She felt a flush prickling up her neck again, but fought to keep her voice steady when she said, “So, Cosima, what university are you going to?”

She _loved_ the way Cosima’s name played across her lips.

“I’m so glad you asked,” she replied, excitement creeping into her voice. “I’m going to Berkeley for, like, biology, but my end goal is a doctorate in something having to do with, like, genetics or evolution or something. It’s still pretty foggy but I’m working on it.”

“That’s really cool,” Delphine said softly, finding herself unable to look away from Cosima’s blazing expression.

“Thanks,” Cosima smiled, returning Delphine’s gaze. “What do you want to go into?”

Now _this_ was something Delphine could talk about. “This fall I’m starting at the University of Chicago in pre-med and biology, but, like you say, my ‘end goal’ is either a PhD or an MD in immunology.”

“Ayyy!” Cosima exclaimed, lifting her hand excitedly for a high-five. “Biology buddies!”

Delphine couldn’t help but laugh and return the high-five—the girl was so unlike anybody she’d met back home. Simultaneously intelligent beyond belief and the silliest person you’d ever encounter, Cosima was absolutely intoxicating.

She noticed, but didn’t altogether register how much closer Cosima’s hand was to her own when she put it back down on the blanket.

“Why immunology?” Cosima asked, looking directly at Delphine now.

The latter shrugged. “Oh, you know, I’m really fascinated by disease and things, and I always knew I want to be a doctor or do research, and to be doing that in America is like…a dream coming true.”

Delphine glanced at Cosima to find the other girl gazing right at her lips, taking in every word. She swallowed, unsure of what was going on.

All she knew was that she had an overwhelming desire to kiss Cosima, right then and there. Panic rose in her chest—was she attracted to Cosima?! No way. Absolutely impossible.

She was just really, really glad to have found a friend at camp, and she was sure Cosima felt the same way.

“I’m so happy you’re my friend, Cosima. I was so worried I wouldn’t have any friends, but you’ve been here for me,” she said quietly, wanting to squash any and all feelings of tingling on her lips, or tightness in her stomach.

_Friends._

As soon as the word ‘friend’ left her lips, Cosima’s body language hardened. Her eyes darted away from Delphine’s mouth, her previously open shoulders turned to close Delphine off. She set her jaw before replying in a tone far too monotonous for Delphine’s liking, “Of course. I’m glad to have you too.”


	2. Week 1- or - In Which Several Things Happen Involving Miserable 10 Year-Olds

The next day, the campers arrived, and Delphine saw little to nothing of Cosima. All day, her thoughts should have been fixed entirely on the ten 9-10 year olds under her care, but every few moments, those piercing brown eyes worked their way into her consciousness.

_What’s Cosima doing right now?_

_What would Cosima think of what I’m doing?_

_Is Cosima also thinking about me?_

“Rachel, please keep up!” Delphine called to a rather airheaded 10-year-old as she led her group to cabin Castor.

Who knew that walking backwards through the woods would be _this_ difficult?

Finally, she managed to shepherd all of her girls into the cabin. Slamming the door determinedly behind the wandering Rachel, Delphine sighed.

_This would be so much easier if I’d talked to Cosima today._

What did she do to make the girl so unfriendly all of a sudden? She’d thought she was being nice. Friendly. Open—

 _“Delphine!”_ came a screech from bunk bed 4. “We’re hungry!”

_Here we go._

Putting on her best smile, Delphine coaxed, “Lunch is in twenty minutes, _mes filles._ How about for right now, we start unpacking our things?”

A groan of assent echoed throughout the cabin as nine girls reached for their suitcases.

She sighed internally—how did she manage to get stuck with the ten biggest complainers in the entire camp?

She surely wasn’t like this as a kid—

Nine.

_Nine._

_Mon dieu, I’m supposed to have ten._

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit

She all but ran to her bed, snatching up the roster. _Who was missing?!_

She was _sure_ ten had entered the cabin.

“Ladies?” she called, trying her hardest to keep panic out of her voice.

Nine dreary faces gloomed back at her.

“Can all of you just say ‘present’ when I call your name?”

“Helen?” “Present.”

“Juliette?” “Present.”

“Beth?” “President.”

Giggles.

American humor?

She swallowed. “Rachel?” “Present.”

Nellie, Kelsey, Veronica, and Isabelle were also present.

That just left—

A knock sounded at the door, and Delphine jolted to a standing position, heart pounding.

What if she lost a camper?

Oh, my god, they would fire her on the spot. She wrenched the door open.

It had only been fifteen minutes—

“Cosima!”

Completely disregarding the young girl at her side, Delphine threw her arms around Cosima’s neck, pulling her into a hug.

“Whoa, Delphine!” Cosima laughed, leaning backwards to nudge Delphine off of her.

“I’m just…very glad to see you.”

What was wrong with Cosima?

Last night she’d been friendly and touchy-feely, but now? She was borderline cold.

She’d also acted that way during the team bonding activities the previous night, _and_ had refused a goodbye hug as they’d walked back to the cabins.

What was going on?

 

She was jolted back to reality as Cosima gestured to the sullen ten-year-old at her side. “Uh, I think somebody got a little lost getting into the cabin,” she said with a grin at the rest of Delphine’s campers, avoiding Delphine herself.

Forcing a lighthearted laugh, Delphine took Cindy’s shoulder and guided her inside. “We were just unpacking before lunch!” she said cheerily, and the young girl bumbled over to the remaining empty bunk.

Delphine turned to Cosima, who still hadn’t left. “Cosima, may I speak with you?” she asked tersely.

Cosima’s expression was unreadable. “No, dude, you have campers to take care of.” She turned away. “Meet me in front of your cabin after the kids go to bed tonight.”

 

The rest of the day was comparably _miserable._

Cosima still refused to meet her gaze, no matter how hard Delphine tried. Which was _difficult_ because their cabins were sisters, so the majority of their activities were held together.

Cosima’s attitude was so strictly professional and cold that by the time Water Games was over at 5:30, Delphine was reduced to the verge of tears.

 _Who does Cosima think she is? Ordering me around, disciplining_ my _campers for me?_

_Splitting up groups of girls to be their partner when I obviously don’t have one?_

_Yesterday we were friends._

 

“Hey, Delphine, are you okay?”

She was sitting on a bench outside the dining building, her girls already having gone in for dinner, and working up the strength to go in and see Cosima. She looked up—

“Oh, hello Ryan.”

Ryan, one of the other counselors, had just set up camp next to her.

Too close next to her.

She tried scooting away, but she was already at the edge of the bench.

“I saw you looked kind of sad, so I thought I’d check up on you,” he said sweetly.

 _That’s more than my actual friend is doing,_ she thought.

She smiled. “Thank you, Ryan. I’m alright, it’s just been a long—”

She broke off. Ryan had put his arm around the back of the bench, his fingers wiggling dangerously close to Delphine’s shoulder.

She shouldn’t be this reluctant to his touch. She was supposed to check out the territory, right?

So why was her heart pounding out of her chest? Why was dread creeping up into her stomach as Ryan’s fingers found her own in her lap?

Why could she only think about how much she wanted Cosima’s hands interlaced with her own? Cosima’s body comforting her on this bench?

_No._

That isn’t how friends act. What had gotten into her?!

“Delphine?”

_Oh no._

Cosima’s voice preceded her body’s arrival around the corner of the dining building. “Delphine, are you out here? Your girls are looking for y— _Oh._ ”

The other girl caught sight of Ryan’s hands clasped tightly around Delphine, and her lovely features became the stoniest Delphine had ever seen them.

Forcefully, Delphine tried to unclench herself from Ryan, but the boy would _not let go._

“Cosima, wait—”

“I didn’t mean to _interrupt.”_

The two spoke at the same time, Delphine desperate and Cosima colder than ever. The other girl turned away without meeting Delphine’s eyes, hurrying back into the hall.

Panic rose in her throat, tears forcing their way out of her eyes. “I—I have to go, Ryan. My girls will be looking for me.”

“Oh—Okay,” he stuttered, confused as Delphine broke free of his grip and all but ran away.

She didn’t go sit down at the table—her girls would ask too many questions. She ran into the bathroom and slammed the stall door shut, a sob finally escaping her lips.

What on earth had she done wrong?

She didn’t owe Cosima anything besides her friendship, which she had so willingly given. Why on earth would Cosima have been so bent out of shape from her holding hands with a boy?

Why was she, _herself_ , so bent out of shape over holding hands with a boy?

 _It’s because you wanted it to be Cosima,_ a voice in the back of her head hissed.

No! she thought back. She only liked boys. Her entire life.

She was almost eighteen years old—she had her life figured out. She liked boys, and that’s all there was to it.

_Then why did her heart lift at the thought of Cosima’s hands being on her? Her heart beat faster at the thought of Cosima doing the things that Marc had done last summer…_

She clapped her hands to her face, crying harder than ever at the horrible thoughts creeping into her head.

What would Cosima, her _friend,_ think if she knew what thoughts she was having about her? She was _ashamed._

She should be thinking about _Ryan’s_ soft touch on her body, not _Cosima’s._ But why did she feel like she was going to throw up at the very thought of Ryan getting near her?

 _That’s it,_ she decided. _I’m just going to stay away from Cosima. I don’t deserve a friend like her if I’m going to have these vulgar—_

“Delphine?” a voice called, poorly masking sniffles. “Delphine, are you in here? Can I talk to you?”

_Cosima._

Biting her tongue and remembering her decision, she called, “Yes, Cosima?”


	3. The Bonfire - or - In Which A Nine-Year-Old Asks Many Questions

“A-are you okay, Delphine?”

_Okay? Am I okay?_

Delphine cleared her throat, trying to buy herself time. Not brave enough to confront the truth, she decided on a lie. “Um, yes, Cosima. I’m fine, it’s just been a long day.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

The two were still speaking through aluminum stall doors, Delphine hugging her arms to her sides at one side of the dirty bathroom and Cosima shuffling her feet at the other.

 _Do I want to talk about it?_ Delphine thought derisively. _Who does Cosima think she is? Like she didn’t cause this._

Bracing herself, she said aloud, “No, I am okay. Um, are you okay? You’ve been acting rather…distant.”

In the silent room, Delphine heard Cosima’s breath catch. The small sound echoed across the tiled walls before the other girl responded.

“Yeah, I’ve just been feeling a little, uh, sick.”

Wonderful to know that they were _both_ lying.

Delphine sighed—she knew she wasn’t going to get Cosima to tell the truth, just as the other counselor most _definitely_ was not going to get it out of Delphine. How could she explain these feelings, when she didn’t even understand them herself? How was it that a single glance from Cosima could make or break her entire day?

She shook her head in a desperate attempt to clear it.

 _“Oui,”_ she lied. “I understand.”

A sniff came from Cosima’s stall.

“Cosima? Are you sure you are alright?” Delphine asked before she could stop herself, surprising even herself with the softness in her words.

There was silence for a moment, silence Delphine knew well. The silence you take to compose yourself when you’re trying to convince someone else you’re fine.

“Of course,” came a forced laugh from across the restroom.

Delphine chose to give her the benefit of the doubt—whatever it was, she obviously didn’t want to talk about it. She suddenly felt inadequate; was she not a good enough friend? Did Cosima feel like she couldn’t confide in her?

She heard the _click_ of the lock slide open, and Cosima’s soft footsteps exited the stall, an invitation for Delphine to do the same.

Cautiously, bracing her fingers more tightly against her arms, she followed suit.

She gritted her teeth at the sight of Cosima’s still tear-filled eyes, which were obviously trying desperately to remain composed.

“Hug?” Cosima smiled, opening her arms in a characteristic gesture.

Grinning in spite of the war in her mind, Delphine hurried over to the other girl.

Her breath caught in her throat as she was suddenly pressed flush against her. She became extremely aware of her accelerating heartbeat, but she couldn’t stop herself from leaning into the embrace. Surely Cosima could feel her heart thumping out of her chest, just as Delphine could feel the other girl’s hands at her back, her hips jutting into Delphine’s, her breasts pressed against—

Her body stiffened. She absolutely should _not_ be having these thoughts right after Cosima had completely forgiven her.

“Delphine?” Cosima let go immediately, stepping back.

_Merde. I’ve upset her again._

“Are you sure nothing’s up?”

Delphine nodded fiercely, not trusting herself to speak. Swallowing a lump in her throat, she said nervously, “Our campers will probably be finishing dinner. Um, see you at the campfire later?”

Cocking her head, Cosima nodded back, confused. “Oh—okay, yeah, see you then.”

 

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ Delphine cursed herself on the way back to the cabin. How could she have let this happen?

She always knew when she was being distant or hostile, but she could never stop it. And now she’d offended Cosima.

_Stupid!_

She felt tears burning at the back of her eyes again, but she absolutely would not let them fall. Her responsibility now was her campers, and she was _not_ going to let Cosima get in the way.

“Are my ladies ready for the campfire?” she asked sweetly as the eleven of them filed into the cabin.

It was due to start in half an hour, giving each cabin plenty of time to get evening-appropriate clothes and insect repellant on.

“Fire scares me,” came a small voice from her right. Kelsey was standing at her elbow, attached to her side as the other girls gathered their things to get changed.

Her one nine-year-old was scared by most everything—water, fire, rain, dogs, bugs, you name it. Delphine smiled: it was a bit like herself.

 _“C’est vrai?”_ She bent down to speak on the small girl’s level. “You can sit with me, _ma cherie._ Is that okay? I’ll make sure the fire stays away.”

Kelsey nodded, a small smile on her face, and hurried to get her things.

 

“Keep up, _mes filles!”_ Delphine called as they tramped through the trees to get to the fire pit. Predictably, Rachel and her cohort Juliette were falling behind, but they’d catch up eventually.

She felt a small squeeze on her hand and, surprised, looked down to find her nine-year-old shadow.

 _“Oui,_ Ms. Kelsey?”

The little girl giggled at being addressed such. “Hi.”

Delphine grinned broadly. _“Bonjour, ma fille.”_

“Why do you talk in Spanish?” she asked, audible over the girls’ laughs from behind.

“Oh, it’s French,” she explained. “I’m from there.”

Realization dawned on Kelsey’s face. “That’s far.”

_“Oui.”_

_Very far._

“Is it nice there?”

“Yes, _ma cherie._ Very beautiful.”

Evidently deep in thought, Kelsey didn’t speak for the rest of the journey—just hung tightly to Delphine’s hand.

 

Delphine stared into the fire, its perpetual motion mesmerizing. She felt she could just watch for hours—

“Heya, Delphine!”

She turned just in time to see Cosima slide onto the log next to her, negative imprint of the fire obscuring her view of the girl. She smiled—too happy to be back on Cosima’s good side to be frustrated with her.

 _“Bonsoir,_ Cosima!”

Cosima leaned across her towards Kelsey, who was clinging to Delphine’s arm. With difficulty, she averted her gaze from the exposed strip of skin beneath Cosima’s t-shirt as she bent over. “And who’s this?” Cosima asked.

“Oh, this is one of my girls, Kelsey,” Delphine grinned, catching Cosima’s eye. The firelight cast the strangest shadow across her face, somehow making her look even more beautiful.

“I’m Cosima, Kelsey.”

Cosima raised her eyebrows after a moment, catching her staring. She felt a flush creeping up her neck, stomach turning, thankful all of a sudden for the obscuring rosy light.

“Delphine, do you have a boyfriend in France?” a squeaky voice interrupted.

_Kelsey._

Cosima’s eyebrows rose even further—how could they possibly stay on her face at this point?—and she gave a small laugh. “Do you, Delphine?” Her light tone was oddly forced, her smile too hard.

“N-no, _ma cherie,”_ she stuttered. Why were her palms sweating? It was just an innocent question.

“Do _you_ have a boyfriend, Cosima?” Kelsey asked, leaning across Delphine.

Cosima’s laugh was slightly more relaxed as she said, “No, Kelsey, that isn’t really my, uh, _area.”_

_What on earth does she mean by that?_

Delphine stared at Cosima—if boyfriends weren’t her area, then…

It was like a lightbulb clicked into place. Her lips parted fractionally, her eyes went out of focus.

_How touchy-feely Cosima had been when they first met._

_How she’d brought them to the beach._

_How she’d been so interested in Delphine’s interests._

_How close their hands had been._

_And then Delphine had said something about being_

_friends._

Cosima _liked_ her.

 

She swallowed hard before making a split second decision.

“Kelsey, _ma cherie?”_ she addressed the girl attached to her forearm. “I must talk to Cosima very quickly, okay?”

The young girl nodded and released, allowing Delphine to stand, seize a bewildered Cosima’s hand, and drag her away into the trees beyond the reach of the firelight. Thistles caught at clothes and skin alike, and Delphine may have tripped once or twice by the time Cosima pulled them to a stop.

“Delphine, what is going on?” she demanded, not letting go of Delphine’s hand for fear of losing her in the dark.

Delphine gritted her teeth, dropping the motherly counselor tone along with all pretenses. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you _what?”_

_You know perfectly well ‘what,’ Cosima._

“What was that comment about, then, ‘boys aren’t my area?’” she hissed, hand not entwined with Cosima’s gesticulating wildly.

“What? So I’m gay, what’s the big deal?” Cosima said, finally letting go of Delphine and crossing her arms across her chest.

“The _big deal,_ Cosima, is that you completely shut me out because I said we were _friends._ You let me believe I had done something _wrong_ for appreciating you as a friend—”

“Delphine, I didn’t—”

_“Let me speak, please.”_

She didn’t even know where the words were coming from, but all she wanted was to make Cosima feel an _inkling_ of the hurt and confusion she’d experienced over the past few days. She thanked the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, Charles Darwin, and each of her ancestors that she wasn’t crying or stumbling over her English.

“You did not even _consider_ that I might like you as well, did you? I just said we were _friends_ and you shut me out _completely._ And I was left to wonder, what on earth had I done wrong? Left to wonder why I’m—I’m crazy about this _girl_ when I’m supposed to be falling for the boys and—”

“Delphine, please—I didn’t even realize that you might…you know…like me, too.”

Delphine hadn’t realized how much closer Cosima had gotten in the darkness, when she spoke, how she could feel her breath tickling her neck. All she could hear suddenly was blood rushing past her ears, all she could feel was her skin itching for Cosima to be closer, closer, closer. Her stomach was twisting itself into knots—closer, closer, closer.

“Cosima—” she breathed.

“It-it’s okay,” Cosima replied, still only inches away.

Delphine shook her head, unsure whether it was for her own benefit or Cosima’s. “It’s just—I’ve never thought about bisexuality, for myself, I mean. But I know that sexuality is—is a spectrum. It’s contrary to the biological facts, you know?”

She heard Cosima swallow hard in the silence before saying, “That’s…oddly romantic. But, uh, totally encouraging.”

If Delphine had thought her biology was telling her something before, it was _screaming_ now, compelling her to do something, something _, something_ to make the pressure release, to assuage what felt like bees buzzing through her veins. She reached out a hand to find Cosima’s jawline in the darkness, fingers tingling as they traced her lips. She brought her other hand to cup the back of Cosima’s neck—closer, closer, closer—

Their lips met and everything was wiped from Delphine’s mind but _Cosima._

The insects that bit at her ankles were nothing compared to the hands traveling up and down her back, venturing to her waist and skimming across the exposed skin. Who _cared_ if branches were scratching at her arms, when Cosima’s soft lips were pressing down her neck, making her back arch and her nails dig?

 _“Cosima,”_ she breathed as the other girl’s lips made their way back up her jaw. It was like nothing she’d ever experienced—making out with boys was fine, but this was _exhilarating_ ; every one of Cosima’s kisses breathed fire into her veins.

“God, you’re incredible,” Cosima whispered against Delphine’s lips as she parted them again. Bravely, she bit lightly on Cosima’s lower lip, making the other girl gasp and pull Delphine’s hips even closer to her.

 _“_ _Belle…très belle,”_ Delphine whispered over and over, unable to believe that she was _kissing Cosima._ The beautiful, smart Cosima was running her fingers across her skin, making her shiver, deepening every kiss.

 

Suddenly, loud voices cut through the air, and the sound of people tramping through the woods filled their ears.

Cosima and Delphine broke away, panting, eyes wide.

_The campers._

“Oh, _mon dieu_.” Delphine clapped a hand to her mouth. “I completely forgot about the campers—”

Cosima seized it, beginning to laugh. “You’re adorable when you’re worried,” she said, pressing a light kiss to her cheek and making the spot burn. “Let’s go.”

Before she could say another word, Delphine was dragged by the hand, laughing, back towards the campfire and the kids.

 

“Where did you go during the campfire, Delphine?” Juliette asked when they were all _supposed_ to be in bed.

The lights were off, but Delphine could still hear a few snickers from neighboring bunks. “Oh, _mes filles,_ I was just talking to Cosima, the counselor from our sister cabin.”

She was too punch drunk to even _care_ that the girls knew—as she rolled over to go to sleep, she swore she could feel those soft hands on her skin, the perfect lips pressed to hers over and over and…


End file.
